The Gamer's POV

"Will she be okay?" Cedric asked with his eyes fixed on Audrey.

Currently, she was sleeping soundly on the bed. Cedric couldn’t tell how long it had been since he began comforting her, but along the line, all the exhaustion had finally caught up to her. She had fallen asleep against his shoulder, after which he gently pulled her onto the mattress and tucked her into bed.

"I know. This isn’t a physical pain that just heals with time," Toki murmured, his pale green eyes also fixed on her. "I’m not sure she’ll ever fully recover from this. She was so close to Aria... even the bow skills she prides herself on were taught to her by her sister." He let out a low sigh. "But Audrey is strong. She’ll carry this weight, step by step. A day at a time, until it becomes bearable for her to live with it.

"It’s a mercy she finally managed to drift off. Right now, sleep is the only escape her mind has."

Cedric sighed.

***

Sometime later, he opened the door to his room, walked over to his bed, and collapsed onto the mattress.

While he was lying there, staring blankly at the ceiling, a firm knock echoed at the door. Shortly after, Leo, his personal assistant, stepped inside.

"You have a package from the Imperial Castle, sir."

"Hm?"

Cedric slowly sat upright and accepted the sealed parchment. After breaking the red wax seal, he unrolled the scroll and realized that it was a Royal Decree.

He began to read:

BY IMPERIAL DECREE

To all vassals, lords, and citizens of the Realm,

Be it known that in recognition of exceptional service and loyalty to the Crown, His Imperial Majesty hereby elevates Cedric Mortimer to the rank and dignity of Count of Djuvik.

By this testament, the Crown grants unto him full lordship and administrative authority over the County of Djuvik, along with all seats, estates, and rights pertaining to the High Nobility.

All local authorities, municipal councils, and landed vassals within said territory are hereby commanded to recognize his rank and render fealty.

Given under the Seal at the Imperial Castle.

"Heh," he chortled, setting the document aside. "Djuvik, huh. That’s way up in the North."

He looked to Leo and nodded in thanks, causing the young assistant to bow politely before taking his leave.

’His Majesty’s intention is obvious,’ Cedric thought, leaning back. ’But in a way, it’s good for me. It means I can stay far away from the bulk of the crazy politics in the empire if I want to. I would dread to be in a place like the southern province that’s all sunshine, galas, rich folk showing off their money, and nonstop political headaches.’

He exhaled loudly as he sank deeper into the mattress.

’The investiture ceremony is next week...’

He closed his eyes.

But just before he drifted off, he muttered under his breath, "The Temple of Perpetual Equilibrium."

***

The weight of the bed vanished, and Cedric opened his eyes to find himself standing in his temple.

Unlike before, when the place was a total ruin, there were only a few cracks along the stone and scattered debris, with just a bit of dust falling from the high ceiling every now and then.

Recently, Cedric had made it a habit to visit this place more often, at least once a week to ensure that the temple did not completely fall to ruin.

Today, though, he was here for something else.

It was time to get a new summon!

He smiled as he could feel his heart race in excitement and anticipation.

Without further ado, he began to make his way to his inner sanctum. As he moved, the cracked walls, and the cracked pillars all began to mend themselves as if time was being reversed for the building.

Cedric reached the wall on the far end and touched the carving of the beautiful heart. Almost instantly, the wall divided, revealing the hidden passage. As he walked inside, the candles on the walls lit up, revealing the remaining eight statues that lined the perimeter of the round sanctum.

’The second ring is a realm that has a lot of creatures that play mind and illusion games, so what I need before my entry into that place is mental protection. Really high mental protection.’

Before now, Cedric had already narrowed his choice of summons to the Hekatid and the Ascetic Vagrant.

After a bit of thinking, Cedric made up his mind.

He was going to bring the Ascetic Vagrant to life!

With that decided, he walked over to the statue of the creature.

’Seriously though, this thing is hideous.’

His face scrunched into a grimace.

’How can something be this ugly?’

The statue was of a bulky man wrapped in tattered clothes. The fabric of its hood was pulled forward to shadow its features, yet that did little to hide its appearance. The visible parts of its skin appeared bulbous and uneven, as if it were melting or covered in coarse, diseased growths. In its misshapen right hand, it clutched a small knife that looked more like a rusted shard of metal than a weapon.

’For some reason, when I look at it, I’m reminded of Leon.’ He chuckled. ’They don’t look so different from each other. The family resemblance is uncanny.’

He took a few steps closer to the creature and placed his hand on its body while focusing his intention.

Not long after, the ring on his finger began to shine faintly. As always, in the seconds that followed, Cedric felt mana surge out from his core into the creature.

This process did not stop until his core felt empty. However, to his surprise, he had strangely gotten used to this.

By the time his mana was completely drained, he took a step back. A few seconds later, a gust of wind swept through the sanctum, followed by audible cracks that began to run along the stone surface of the statue. Then, the stone began to dissolve from the creature, revealing its true form.

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